The Supreme Court has refused to suspend the life sentence imposed on Narayan Sai, son of self-styled preacher Asaram, in a 2013 rape case, while directing the Gujarat High Court to make an endeavour to dispose of his pending criminal appeal within three months.
A Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and P.B. Varale declined to interfere with the Gujarat High Court’s order rejecting Sai’s plea for suspension of sentence. However, taking note of the pendency of his appeal, the Bench fixed a time frame for its disposal and directed both the appellant and the State to extend full cooperation to ensure an expeditious hearing.Write
The Court further clarified that if the appeal is not decided within the stipulated three-month period, Sai would be at liberty to approach the Supreme Court again for appropriate relief.
Sai had challenged the Gujarat High Court’s May 2026 order refusing to suspend his sentence pending adjudication of his appeal. The High Court had observed that, following a conviction for serious offences, the presumption of innocence no longer survives and held that Sai had failed to establish a prima facie case warranting suspension of his life sentence. It also found that his own conduct had contributed to the delay in disposal of the appeal, noting that he had repeatedly pursued interim bail applications instead of pressing for an early hearing on merits.
Appearing for Sai, Senior Advocate N. Hariharan argued before the apex court that his client had remained in custody for nearly twelve years and that, despite seeking an early hearing, the appeal had not been taken up by the High Court. He urged the Bench to suspend the sentence until the appeal was finally decided.
The Supreme Court, however, declined to examine the merits of the challenge to the High Court’s findings at this stage. Instead, it observed that the appropriate course would be to ensure the appeal itself is heard without undue delay, rather than granting interim relief by suspending the sentence.
Narayan Sai was convicted by a Surat sessions court in April 2019 for the rape of a former disciple and sentenced to imprisonment for life. His appeal against conviction has since remained pending before the Gujarat High Court.
With the latest order, the Supreme Court has left the conviction and sentence undisturbed while directing the High Court to conclude the appellate proceedings within the prescribed period. The Court’s clarification also leaves open the possibility of Sai seeking further relief if the appeal remains undecided after three months.
Case: Narayan Sai v. State of Gujarat
Bench: Justice M.M. Sundresh and Justice P.B. Varale
The post Supreme Court declines to suspend Narayan Sai’s life sentence in rape Case; Gujarat High Court asked to decide appeal within three months appeared first on India Legal.